Domesticated birds have been kept in enclosures for thousands of years, until the 20th century they consumed water in containers on the ground. The ground waterer is largely unsanitary since dust and feces can blow into the containers, causing the growth of fungi and bacteria. The fungi and bacteria partially poison the birds and affecting the quality of produce. Several recent advances have attempted to resolve these problems with minimal success. The prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,798 issued to Ohara and U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,420 issued to Croker.
Ohara teaches an overhead watering trough that causes a mess in that the arrangement of nipples causes water to fall onto the ground into a trough which has difficulties of the water containers noted above. The “side to side” nipple taught in the present invention is superior to the “push-up” nipple in Ohara because the side to side nipple is easier for birds to use.
Crocker teaches an archaic water valve, allows airborne debris to enter tank. Crocker's water valve is totally different and relies on weight of water to cause a downward pull at the fulcrum end. This, in turn, causes the rounded opposed end of the fulcrum arm to be pushed into the resilient liquid supply tube consequently cutting off the water supply to the drinker. This construction leaves no means to anchor the device to a fixed surface above.
Ground water drinkers create a bad smelling mess. The present invention solves that problem with a cleaner system which is completely contained, above bird head level and isolated from outdoor contaminants.